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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #80975
Title: CONTROL OF HORIZONTAL SPREAD OF SALMONELLA TO CONTACT CHICKS FROM SEEDER CHICKS CHALLENGED SIMULTANEOUSLY OR ONE-DAY BEFORE COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION TREATMENT

Author
item Corrier, Donald
item Byrd Ii, James - Allen
item Hume, Michael
item Nisbet, David
item Stanker, Larry

Submitted to: Journal of Applied Poultry Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Newly hatched chicks are often exposed to Salmonella bacteria in the hatchery and as many as 9% are already infected when they are placed in the chicken house. These infected chicks pass Salmonella in their droppings and spread the infection to other chicks. The purpose of this study was to determine if we could prevent the spread of infection by treating the chicks with a culture of normal bacteria that inhibits Salmonella growth in their intestinal tract. We found that chicks treated with the culture were protected against Salmonella infection even when they were exposed to infected chicks at the same time that they were given the culture. These results show that the spread of Salmonella from chicks infected in the hatchery can be prevented by treatment with a culture of normal bacteria.

Technical Abstract: Exposure of newly hatched chicks in the hatchery to salmonellae results in the establishment of seeder chicks with fecal shedding and the transmission of salmonellae to other contact chicks in the broiler house during growout. This study investigated the protective effect of treatment with a characterized competitive exclusion culture (CF3**TM) on the transmission of Salmonella from seeder to contact chicks when the CF3**TM treatment occurred simultaneously with seeder challenge or when treatment was delayed 24 h after challenge. Delayed treatment failed to prevent the establishment of seeder chicks, but did significantly (P